True meaning of Pesach
צילום: דודו אזולאי
Sweet taste of freedom
Op-ed: For Israel’s migrant workers, Ethiopian immigrants, true freedom remains elusive
It was in Levinsky Park in South Tel Aviv eating matzah and charoset with a group of non-Jewish men from Eritrea that I finally understood the meaning of Pesach. But it had nothing to do with the unleavened bread we were eating, the glasses of wine or even the English-Hebrew Haggadahs on the table.
This was a Pesach Seder with people from the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eretria and the Philippines organized by human rights organizations such as Adam LeAdam, Amnesty Israel, ARDC, Beit Tefilah and Kav L’Oved. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. An evening spent with Tel Aviv’s refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers to celebrate t heir unique exodus.
“Let my people go,” we all sang with weighty words that carried different meaning for all of us. I know Violeta Pasco from the Philippines was thinking about her family who she hasn’t seen in seven years. About her two kids, Noa (one month) and Joshua (six-years-old) who are more Israeli then she’ll ever be. And how because her work permit has expired she doesn’t feel so free in Israel.
Meanwhile, Bereket Tadesse, a refugee from Eritrea who had only arrived in Tel Aviv that morning, was thinking about his incredible escape from Eritrea to Sudan. From Sudan to Egypt. From Egypt to Israel. And now he finds himself in Tel Aviv without family or a place to stay. That was his exodus.
These are modern-day Pesach stories. Stories of people who have escaped terrible odds and have risked everything for a better future. But what awaits many of these refugees isn’t always the life they expected. “We need freedom inside Israel. We are not free. We can survive by our hand only. Freedom inside Israel is complicated,” said Abrehane Gobro Hidan, a refugee from Eritrea.
Are Ethiopians free?
I was once on a bus packed to more than its capacity, leaving me with no choice but to stand behind the driver. There was a religious man sitting at the front who kept shouting at the driver. It didn’t matter what he did. At one point he was driving too slowly. Once the driver picked up speed this black-hatted cantankerous man decided that he was taking too long to pull off from bus stops. And so a volley of vitriolic screams between the two men ensued. Standing there, I was caught in the crossfire. I tried to calm the driver down. Told him to ignore the unpleasant man. And so we started talking.“You know, I used to be an engineer in Ethiopia,” he told me, “And I come here to be treated like this. Like nothing”. Sometimes freedom isn’t enough. Sometimes being free leaves you wondering: Freedom, but at what cost?
Some 23,000 Jews were rescued from Ethiopia. The Israeli government has done much to help these Jews integrate into Israeli society. But still, there is much work to be done.
“It is not easy for Ethiopian Jews to come from Africa and adapt to Israeli culture. We are working on improving and progressing. We help each other. Of course, the government helps and gives and does all that is possible. Our hope is in the new generation,” said Yosef Hadane, the Chief Rabbi of Ethiopia’s Jews.
It is not easy for anyone to flee their home and adapt. It takes time and resources. And I am beginning to question if Israel can sustain all those who turn to her for refuge. There are approximately 35,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Israel. Many of them are denied the right to work and do not have access to basic health care.
To make matters worse, the recent protests by south Tel Aviv residents against refugees and migrant workers sends a very clear message. They simply aren’t welcome in Israel.
Pesach is not just about freedom. Freedom is not enough. The matzah and charoset have a tendency to either leave you constipated or wanting more. Indeed, Passover is about meaningful freedom. About the exodus of a people who escaped slavery for a better life. Many of the refugees I spoke with have a long way to go before they are truly free.
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